KAILUA-KONA – Hulihe‘e Palace is expanding its museum hours to be open on most Mondays, with hours of operation from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. The only exception is on the Monday following the monthly Kokua Kailua Village stroll, when the palace is closed in the morning and open 1-4 p.m.

Beginning May 1, admission fees for adult, kama‘aina, military and seniors increase by $2. The new fee schedule follows:

General Admission:
Adult: $8.00 (non-guided tour) $10.00 (guided tour)
Kama`aina: $6.00 (non-guided tour) $8.00 (guided tour)
Military: $6.00 (non-guided tour) $8.00 (guided tour)
Seniors: (65) $6.00 (non-guided tour) $8.00 (guided Tour)
Children: $1.00 (18 years and under)

Visitors can choose from a 45-minute docent-guided tour, a self-guided tour (detailed brochure provided), or can use a personal mobile telephone to access a free “On Cell” audio tour (regular mobile air me fees may apply).

Built in 1838, the two-story Hulihe‘e Palace houses a collection of ancient Hawaiian (pre-Western contact) artifacts and personal memorabilia of 19th century Hawaiian royalty. The palace structure has been painstakingly restored to circa 1885, a period known in Hawaiian history as the Kalakaua Era. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Standout furnishings include King Kalakaua’s magnificent armoire that won a silver medal in the 1889 International Exhibition in Paris, a 70-inch table top made from a single piece of koa wood, an ornate steamer trunk used by Queen Kapi‘olani to carry belongings to Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, King Kamehameha the Great’s stone exercise ball weighing a whopping 180 pounds and exquisite bed mats made from the endemic makaloa sedge.

Gift shop hours are 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. For details, contact the palace at 329-1877, the palace office at 329-9555 or visit www.daughtersofhawaii.org. The gift shop can be reached by phoning 329-6558.

Caretakers of Hulihe‘e Palace are the Daughters of Hawai‘i. The organization was founded in 1903 and opens membership to any woman who is directly descended from a person who lived in Hawai‘i prior to 1880. Helping the Daughters in its efforts since 1986 are the Calabash Cousins; membership is available to all.